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Tomatoes are good for cholesterol, heart, skin

July 15, 2007 12:35 am

THE ONLY thing better than the taste of a sun-ripened tomato fresh off the vine is the knowledge that tomatoes are good for you.

They may raise good cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and keep skin looking younger.

Eaten for thousands of years in South America, tomatoes were feared initially by Europeans as insanity-causing "wolf peaches," and later revered as aphrodisiac "love apples." Today, tomatoes are esteemed as a health food.

They are rich in vitamin C and antioxidants, high in fiber and low in calories. And a cup of raw tomatoes has only 38 calories.

Recent research shows that tomatoes may help raise levels of "good" HDL cholesterol, the kind that acts as a scavenger, cleaning up arteries.

The details: A Chilean study showed that drinking concentrated tomato juice daily for a week raised HDL levels by 6 percent. Eating 1 cups a day of chopped tomatoes for a month raised HDL by 15 percent, according to Israeli researchers.

Most research suggests it's best to eat tomatoes--whether fresh, in sauces, soups or ketchup--rather than taking lycopene capsules, which contain one of the tomato pigments. However, taking lycopene capsules for eight weeks reduced blood pressure by 4 to 10 points, according to the American Heart Journal.

Other research suggests that eating tomato products may reduce the risk of prostate cancer, and a French study hints that eating tomatoes is linked to a lower risk of asthma.

There's still more good news about tomatoes.

A German study found that eating tomato paste daily for 10 weeks reduced the development of sunburns. (However, it's important to remember that eating tomatoes is not a substitute for wearing sun block and limiting sun exposure.) Sunburns have been linked to skin cancer and premature wrinkling, so perhaps eating tomatoes may help people avoid those things, too.

The German sunburn scientists gave their volunteers tomato paste with the equivalent of 16 milligrams of lycopene a day. Most of us don't eat plain tomato paste, but you can get that much lycopene from cup tomato sauce, a cup of tomato soup or tomato juice, or six tablespoons of ketchup.

Now that you know some reasons why tomatoes are good for you, how can you incorporate them into your diet?

My favorite way is to step outside to my garden and eat them sun-warmed, right off the vine, juice dribbling down my chin.

However, my garden hasn't produced any tomatoes yet this year, so I buy them at the farmers market. In contrast, supermarket tomatoes tend to be thick-skinned, pale, tasteless imitations of locally grown tomatoes, although some stores have better-tasting vine-ripened or hothouse tomatoes.

Wherever you get tomatoes, if you want the best flavor, keep your tomatoes on the countertop, not in the refrigerator.

Consider trying old-fashioned varieties--they come in many colors and subtly different flavors. Thomas Jefferson grew a purplish variety, and you can also find golden, orange and even white tomatoes. The red and purple varieties are highest in lycopene, while the lighter colors sometimes have less acid, making them easier to digest for some people.

Quick ways to eat more tomatoes include slicing them into rounds and sprinkling with a bit of salt or herb seasoning as a colorful side dish; chopping tomatoes and adding them to fresh salsas, salads and omelets; and layering thinly sliced tomatoes into sandwiches. My other favorite ways to eat tomatoes are:

Insalata Caprese: This simple, sensual Italian salad is made from a slice of tomato topped by a fresh basil leaf and a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese.

Broiled tomatoes: Halve the tomatoes, place them on a broiler sheet, sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and parmesan cheese, and broil for five minutes.

Roasted tomatoes: This recipe adapted from Joy of Cooking takes a long time but results in an incredibly, rich, buttery flavor. You can use roasted tomatoes in any dish, as a side, a sauce for pasta, or freeze them to use later in the season. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees, put halved tomatoes in a casserole dish, drizzle with olive oil and perhaps a dash of pepper and oregano. Roast for two hours. The tomatoes will get tender and wrinkly, and taste like heaven.

Kebabs: Skewer cherry tomatoes, brush them with vinaigrette dressing, and grill them until the skin begins to wrinkle. These are lovely alone or skewered with chunks of mushroom, onion, zucchini and even chicken or meat. Grilling brings out a sweet tomato flavor.

For another idea, see my recipe for Gazpacho, a Spanish soup, served cool and made from a blend of tomatoes, herbs and peppers.

Jennifer Motl welcomes reader questions via her Web site, bright eating.com, or mailed to Nutrition, The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia St., Fredericksburg, Va. 22401.